Molding form



April 4, 1944. J. P. LEISING ,345,707

MOLDING FORM .Filed April 22, 1943 (9' INVENTOR fi/ kzzfaka'rzf,

ATTORN EYS Patented Apr. 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,345,707MOLDING Foam John P. Leising, Swormsville, N. 3.. A pl ca April 22, 3; Sria N 484 17 (ol. 2 5T121) 2 Claims.

This invention relates toimprovements informs or molds for usein moldingblocks of concrete or analogousmaterial, particularly walk blocks orother relatively shallow polygonal blocks ,OrsIabs.

One object of the inventiqn sto provide an improvedz o m'by eans o w ichoncrete and the likelblocks canbe conveniently, expeditiously andefi'iciently molded.

Among other objects of the invention may be mentioned the following: toproduce a block molding form which is of simple and inexpensive butimproved, practical construction; which is made in a single integralpiece of material, and which preferably can be made by bending orshaping a single-piece blank of sheet metal or other sheet material intothe finished form; and which has bounding side walls with means at thecorners between adjacent walls that function in retaining said walls intheir intended normal relation but also serve as means for freeing thewalls from adhering surfaces of the molded block in the form tofacilitate the discharge of the finished block from the form.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing specification of the preferred embodiment of the invention,shown in the accompanying drawing, and the novel features of theinvention are set forth in the appended claims.

In said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a block mold or form embodying myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section thereof on line 4-4, Fig. 3, showing ablock molded therein.

Fig. 5 is a reduced plan view of the blank from which the form is made.

The form or mold comprises a bottom It! and side walls H rising from thebounding edges or margins of the bottom, preferably perpendicularlythereto so as to form an open topped, relatively shallow pan orreceptacle in which concrete or other plastic material can be cast ormolded into a block having the shape of the interior of the receptacle.As shown, the mold is of hexagonal shape, but it may be of other shapehaving a greater or less number of sides. The side walls I l are notsolidly joined together at the upright angles or corners formed betweenthem, but are disconnected, that is, the end edges or portions I2 and I3of the side walls which adjoin or abut each other at the upright cornersof the mold are not fixedly attached to each other but have open slitsor joints between them. Thus the several side wallsare capable of beingsprung or deflected outwardly from their intended normal or upri hpositions so t-hat. if the Walls shoulda here tqz h side s r aces of themolded :block in the form, the walls can be freed from said surfaces tofacilitate the discharge of the block from theform by deflectin thesidewa s s i tly aw romt e sides of the block.

However, the side Walls are retained in their intended normal or uprightpositions by the inherent rigidity or resilience of the material ofwhich the form is made supplemented by retaining means comprising, asshown, tongues or extensions M at the corners of the form, each of whichtongues extends at an angle from one end of one side wall and overlapsthe adjoining end of the adjacent side wall fiat against the outer faceof the latter. In the preferred construction shown, each side wall H isformed at one of its ends with one of the tongues 14 which overlaps theadjoining end of the adjacent side wall, and the tongues are formed atthe corresponding ends of the several walls. These tongues cross andclose the corner joints between side walls, and since each tongue issubstantially rigid with the wall from which it extends and projects atan angle therefrom, it acts to brace or retain in place the adjacentside wall which it overlaps. The side walls thus mutually cooperate withone another to hold the walls in their intended normal positions, whilenevertheless the side walls are capable of limited outward deflectionfor the purpose explained.

Furthermore, the tongues I i provide each side wall with a projection atthe outside of the form, the end edge of which can be tapped or struckwith a suitable striking tool to deflect or force said side Wallslightly outward to break any adherence between it and the facingsurface of the molded block in the form. Then, by inverting the form,the block can be dropped out of it. If the bottom surface of the blockshould adhere to the bottom of the form, it can be readily freedtherefrom by slightly springing or buckling the bottom of the forminwardly by external pressure thereon. By reason of this construction,it is not necessary to pry the walls away from the faces of the moldedblock, as by inserting an implement between the walls of the mold andthe block. Possible marring or chipping of the molded block is thusavoided.

A mold or form of the construction described can be, and preferably is,made from a single blank of sheet metal or other sheet material capableof being bent or shaped to form the walls and retaining tongues of themold. A suitable blank for the purpose is shown in Fig. 4. This blankmay be of the same shape in plan as the mold bottom but of suflicien'tlylarger dimensions than the bottom, to provide marginal flanges I laadapted to be bent up along the broken lines [6 to form the side walls Il of the mold. By cutting the blank on lines ll, one of which cutsextends outwardly from each angle formed where the bending lines I5 meetto the outer edge of the blank, the flange portions I la can be bent upalong the lines l6 and a tongue-forming extension Ma will be left at oneend of each wall flange portion Ila. The wall retaining tongues H areformed by bending these extensions [4a inwardly to the proper angles tothe wall flanges Ila where indicated by the broken lines l8 in Fig. 4.The blank could be cut and bent differently to make retaining tongues ofa different disposition and form, but the disclosed form and cutting ofthe blank enables the blanks to be cut or stamped out of sheet stockwithout waste and reduces to the minimum the necessary operations on theblank.

I claim as my invention:

1. A block molding form of pan shape comprising a bottom wall ofpolygonal shape with side walls fixedly attached to and rising from themarginal edge of said bottom wall, the adjacent ends of said side wallsbeing discontinuous at the corners of the polygon, each of said sidewalls having an integral tongue extending beyond one of its ends in adirection lengthwise of that side wall along the outside of andoverlapping with the adjacent end of an adjoining side wall, wherebyeach tongue will stiifen that adjacent side wall with which it overlaps,against outward movement when molding material is pressed into the form,and may be tapped endwise, after the material in the form has set, to

loosen the wall carrying it from the set mate-

